


Abandoned Bases and Lost Faces

by Kitten860



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Acxa & Keith (Voltron) are Siblings, Acxa is related to Keith, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, F/F, I'm Bad At Tagging, Late Night Writing, Season/Series 07, Spoilers, if you weren't happy with Acxa having a crush on Keith, if you weren't happy with s7 in general, more tags to come, voltron s7 spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 05:06:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15656349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitten860/pseuds/Kitten860
Summary: Ezor survives the explosion in season 7. Acxa finds her, and slowly but surely the two repair their broken friendship, and attempt to repay for their old ways, both to the universe and to each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just thought I'd do this. I own no characters.  
> Also I'm tired af and my eyes aren't so good right now. Might be a few mistakes.

"I'll do everything I can out here to help the Voltron Coalition."

Acxa promised this twice, once in the conversation she had with the Paladins and once when they departed to continue their journey to Earth. She meant it. She needed to make up for the wrong she had done.

The only problem is, she didn't have a ship.

She didn't ask- the Paladins didn't have time to continue helping her. However, this meant she was stranded on a planet, with no ship. Her only shelter was a cave, and there wasn't much to eat. There was no water source in sight.

She would have to explore, then.

Cocking her gun, she stepped out of the cave, letting the curtain fall behind her. She studied the landscape. It was dry and bare, a few abandoned structures that looked ancient Galran. No water source.

The food supplies in the cave would last her a phoeb, two at best, if she ate sparingly. But that would do her no good without water. She eyed the structures. Perhaps there was something in there? More food, at least?

It was worth a look. She started walking up the hill. The entrance was locked. She shot at the lock and the doors began sliding open. She raised her gun.

The hallway was bare. Still holding her gun, she walked right. The hallway was still bare, a few boxes here and there. She checked them, but they were mostly empty, besides some rusty tools. 

She came across her first room. The doors were ajar, and she walked through them with her gun out. The room was small and dark, and its only contents were two containers pressed against the wall. She looked in them. A bowl and a spoon. Nothing more.

She continued her walk down the hallway, finding another room. The doors were rusted shut, and as much as she tried, she couldn't get them open. The next room led to another hallway. At the end of the hallway, she found the control room. She doubted it still had power, but she placed her hands on the device anyway. Nothing. She continued walking.

It became apparent there was nothing in this building. She strode to the next nearest one. This one was slightly bigger, but proved to be fruitless. The same of all the others. Finally, with the two largest ones left, she stopped and sat down, catching her breath. Acxa sighed. Her legs were tired. She had been wondering around the buildings for quintants, and she was hungry, thirsty, and tired. These places had clearly been deserted for deca-phoebs. It was dark. She should walk back to her cave.

But she hadn't become Lotor's top general by resting when she felt like it. She walked over, choosing the closer building.

The buildings were dark in the day, but it was near impossible to see at night. Her only source of light was her gun. That, and she somewhat had night vision, as all Galra do. But she was a half-breed, and her night vision wasn't as well as them. She ended up tripping on a box and falling into a closet. She walked away from that with only annoyance. 

The control room here was bigger than the others. And like the others, when she placed her hands on the panel, nothing happened. 

Wait.

A flicker.

Just the tiniest hint of power, but it was enough. If she could get to the mechanical room, she could probably get this working, even if for only a few doboshes. She stumbled around until she found the mechanical room. After a few vargas of fumbling around and getting shocked a few times, it seemed like it could work. She made her way to the control room and placed her hands on the panel.

The panel came to life, light filling the room. She scanned the screens, narrowing her eyes. This planet was taken over by Zarkon.... about 9, 801 deca-phoebs ago. That explained the structures being ancient Galran. 

There was a small ship in the hangar. She didn't know if it had power, but it was worth a shot. She went down to the hangar. The ship was a Galra fighter. It would need more power if she wanted to make it to another planet, but she wasn't sure if there was enough. She'd have to put all the power from the building into the ship. There wouldn't be enough time to get the supplies from the cave if she wanted enough power. First, she opened the hangar.

Running back to the mechanical room, she hooked everything up. If she overloaded the system NOW, it would power up the ship. Probably.

She overloaded the system and ran out of the room.

The screens flickered on and off, and waves of electricity raced through the room. She slid down the hallway, nearly slipping. She made it to the hangar, just in time to see the fighter come to life. Acxa jumped in, sliding into the seat. She flew the fighter up, until she left the planet's atmosphere.

She was in space.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own none of these characters.

"The nearest system is the Klii-Nyn System," she said to herself. Acxa sat back in her seat. It would take half a varga to get there. There was nothing there, but she needed to stop for a tick. If she remembered correctly, the Blade of Marmora once held a rally point here. Zailox Station. It was abandoned now, after the druids went out on a mission to destroy every Blade.

It would be suitable to stop here.

Landing the fighter, she jumped out and began walking to the entrance. The Paladins had left it open, so she was able to get in easily. Holding her gun out, she entered the station.

It was silent, save for the falling rubble every now and then. The station was completely dark, no power to light it. Even with the light from her gun and her night vision, it was very difficult to see. 

She walked through the station, trying to find anything. It was eerie, how silent and empty it was. The lack of light didn't help. Rubble fell from the bridge above her and met the bridge she was on with a loud clank. She whirled around, gun out and ready to fire. Nothing. It was silent once again.

She walked carefully and quietly, her eyes narrowed. The base had been abandoned by the Blades three deca-phoebs ago, but that didn't mean it was completely empty.

It was noiseless the rest of her walk. Acxa finally sat down. What was closet to the Klii-Nyn System? The Li-Hyn System? That, if she was correct, was inhabited by many races. Perhaps she could trade and get a better ship there. She'd need more supplies, food and weapons, not just for her, but for the Coalition. She'd need-

Something collided with her face and she flew backwards. Lunging to her feet, she held her gun out. There was nothing in sight. But she heard a raspy noise. Like someone was injured.

Again, she was kicked backwards. She couldn't see her attacker, they had the advantage. Her attacker slammed her into the floor. Acxa's hand flew out and punched the attacker, receiving a hiss of pain. She hadn't punched with her full strength. They must have already been injured.

A leg smacked her in the head. Acxa fell back. She used to spar with Ezor, who would cloak herself. In turn, Acxa would have to listen for her movements and breathing, though Ezor was nimble and quieted her breathing. This attacker, while nimble, was injured. Which meant their movements were slowed and their breathing ragged. 

Acxa closed her eyes. (They weren't helping much.) She listened. Footsteps echoed to her right, rapidly getting closer. Just as they were in range, she twisted her body, dodging the kick aimed at her head. She grabbed her attacker's leg, trapping it between her own. She aimed her gun at the attacker. 

"I'm going to ask you this once. Who are you?" Acxa asked, her anger at getting kicked around not showing in her voice. She prided herself on showing no emotion, though anger often got through.

The attacker hissed. "You....stupid....Paladin-loving....traitor...." Acxa's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ezor?"

Ezor materialized underneath her. She looked the same as the last time she had seen her- same outfit, same mechanical leg. Acxa wondered the story behind that. How had she lost her leg? Who did it? Could she had stopped it if she was there? She shouldn't feel guilty, but Ezor had once been her teammate.

But the longer she stared, she could see Ezor's injuries. She had burns all over, and her breathing was ragged and labored. "How did you survive that explosion?"

Ezor forced a laugh. "Thought... you and your boyfriend could... kill me?" She took another raspy breath. 

Ignoring the dig, she narrowed her eyes. "Is Zethrid with you? And you still haven't answered my question. How did you survive?"

Ezor now forced a smile. "I can survive... anything... you or your stupid... boyfriend can throw at me."

Acxa tightened her grip on Ezor's wrist, causing her to cry out in pain. "Where. Is. Zethrid."

"Not here." Ezor blinked back tears. She cleared her throat with a wince. Acxa's eyes widened again.

"She saved you from the explosion?" Acxa asked, almost in disbelief. Ezor nodded slowly. "She sacrificed herself for you?"

"Don't... sound so surprised," Ezor rasped. "She was amazing. Up til the end and after."

Acxa's face fell. She felt so guilty. She killed Zethrid. If not killed, then at least responsible for her death. Only a few deca-phoebs ago, they were a team. Her, Ezor, Zethrid, Narti, even Lotor. Then Lotor killed Narti, and the others feared for their lives. She was confused, but trusted him. Then, in the last battle, she realized Lotor was not who she thought he was. She would do anything to protect Ezor and Zethrid, her teammates.

What kind of teammate killed another?

"If you're feeling guilty, good," Ezor said. Acxa looked back at her. "You should. You... betrayed us. For that... Paladin. You were always... sweet on him. Weak." Acxa aimed her gun at Ezor's face.

"If you're gonna kill me, go ahead. I'll... be happier with Zethrid and Narti... than here. Do it." Ezor closed her eyes. Acxa put her gun down. Ezor opened her eyes.

"I won't kill you." Acxa stood. Ezor furrowed her brow in confusion, then lunged up to attack Acxa-

Acxa shot her. Ezor fell, stunned. "But I'm not a fool." She carried Ezor to the fighter, placing her next to the seat. It was a tight fit, and she had nothing to tie her up with. She'd have to hurry to the next system.

 

Ezor groaned and opened her eyes. There was light. She blinked and sat up, wincing. She was in a hospital room. She looked around.

Acxa.

Ezor growled and lunged. She didn't move. She looked down. She was strapped to the bed. "You-"

Acxa handed her a glass of water. "Smoke inhalation. You should have some water." Ezor wanted to throw it against the wall, but she hadn't had anything to drink for a while. She settled for downing the water angrily, glaring at Acxa the entire time. When she finished, she wiped her mouth and glared.

"You Paladin-loving traitor! You're the reason Zethrid is dead! We should have just killed the Paladins, starting with the flippity haired one! I hate you!" Ezor threw her pillow at Acxa.

Acxa didn't respond. She stood up and left the room. Ezor watched in silent confusion. When she didn't return, Ezor looked around.

"Uh, nurse?"

 

After a while, she tried getting her pillow. It failed. Her arms were free, but her legs were still strapped to the bed. She knew Acxa had done that, but part of her wondered if it was also due to her mechanical leg. The nurse might think it was 'dangerous'. Which it was. She ran a hand over it, recalling the overwhelming pain she had gone through getting it. If it hadn't been for Zethrid...

She blinked back tears. Hadn't she cried enough? She remembered pulling herself out of the wreckage, finding Zethrid's body, and sobbing for vargas. It hurt more than the explosion ever could.

She put a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries. She couldn't cry in this place. Not now. She heard someone coming up in the hallway and hastily wiped her tears. She sat up straight.

Acxa walked through the doorway with a plate full of food. Ezor felt her stomach grumble. She hadn't eaten in so long...

Acxa set the plate in her lap and returned to her seat. It appeared she actually had two plates. She took the second one and started eating. Ezor looked down at the plate in her lap. It looked really good, though that may have been her starving. She started shoveling food in her mouth, nearly in heaven. Food tasted so good.

When she finished, she sighed and sat back. She looked at Acxa, who was still eating. "Why are you helping me?" she demanded. "I don't need a Paladin-loving traitor's help."

Acxa put her spork down. She met Ezor's eyes. "First? I am not a Paladin-loving traitor. My reason for helping the Paladins is not love."

"Then what is i-"

"Second? I feel pity for you. Third? While hospital food isn't the best, I haven't eaten in quintants. You were a good excuse to get free food."

"Pity? I'm the pitied one? Look at you. Helping the Paladins of Voltron. Spoiler alert: You're Galra. They hate Galra. And if not love, what is it? You refused to kill him, you chose him over us. I've seen the way you look at him. If he does, for some reason, love you, do you not what that'll do? They won't accept him. You'll ruin his life and Voltron." Ezor snarled. "I'm not the one who should be pitied."

Acxa stood up again, her plate clean. "I'm going to sign you out. Then, I'm going to go get something to tie you up with. Then, I'm going to go help the Voltron Coalition. And you can be quiet." She took Ezor's plate and left the room. Ezor watched her go, filled with anger and confusion.


	3. Chapter 3

"Just sign here and you're ready to go," the secretary said. Acxa took the pen and signed her name, then Ezor's. While it was true those were reasons she was doing this, there were others.

She couldn't lose her last teammate.

And she had no time to stop and put her in prison if she was going to help the Voltron Coalition.

Walking to the market, she observed her surroundings. It was a nice place, she supposed, if you liked bright things. She noticed the lack of people, where in a place like this there should be many. She shrugged. It wasn't her problem.

Wait. It was now. If she was going to help Voltron, she would need to... talk to people. She shuddered. Social interaction had never been her strong point. It had always been Ezor's...

 

"Ezor." Acxa stood in the doorway. "We're leaving." She stepped back to reveal the wheelchair, complete with handcuffs hanging on the side and ropes to tie her up. Ezor glared.

"As if. The second I get out of this bed, I'm attacking you and killing you. I was weak last time. I won't lose again." Ezor growled. Acxa walked over with the handcuffs. 

"Look, I need you to talk to someone. So I don't want to drug you. It's best if you cooperate."

"As if-" Ezor looked down to see her arms cuffed behind her back. "Oh, you sneaky devil woman!"

Acxa tied her legs together, and then lifted Ezor from the bed. Ezor felt the blood rise to her head. Obviously she hadn't moved from that position in a while. Acxa set her down in the wheelchair and tied her back to the chair. Finally, she put a blanket over her torso and legs, to avoid as many questions as possible.

"Greeeaaat, what's next? A gag? A blindfold?" Ezor snarked. Acxa said nothing, only pushing her out to the lobby.

"Have a nice day!" The secretary said.

"How about fu-" Acxa put her hand over Ezor's mouth.

"Phick ooo," Ezor mumbled.

They left the hospital, heading to the market. Acxa went over to the place to trade in ships. She leaned down to Ezor. "You're going to talk to him. Your topics are- trading in the Galra fighter for something else, and where everyone else is. Got it?"

"Hmm, lemme think....no," Ezor said. Acxa grabbed her wrist and started squeezing.

"Try again."

"Nah." She yelped. "Quiznack, fine. I need my wrists. You stupid-"

"The only thing you should be saying is to that salesperson."

"Can I help you?" The man asked, confused. Ezor smiled, that fun, perky smile she used to have that Acxa missed. This one was fake, of course, but it just... made her feel happy.  
She was then confused. Why did she care about Ezor's smiling? Why had she labeled her different smiles? She had the perky one, the one for people they threatened, her torturing one, her beautiful genuine one...

There! Why did she think it was beautiful? She shook her head slightly. Must be a lack of sleep.

"Hi there," Ezor said. "We're looking to trade in a ship?"

"Sure," the man said. "What ship do you have?"

"Galra fighter. Nothing special, but with my injuries, we need something a little larger, you know?" Ezor smiled wider.

"Uh, okay. The ones that would be acceptable to trade are that way." He pointed. "Tell me if anything catches your eye."

"Sure thing," Ezor said sweetly. As they turned the corner, she whispered, "sucker."

"Next time we talk, you have to ask were everyone is." Acxa reminded her.

"Of course," Ezor said, even more sweet. Acxa waited for the jab. "Anything for my Paladin-loving traitor." Acxa ignored her.

"Something that can carry supplies," she said, mostly to herself. Ezor perked up.

"Do I hear a heist mission? A robbery?" Ezor asked. "Come on, I'm so booored. You're boring. I wanna do something fun."

"Your definition of fun is torturing people."

"Well, yeah."

"We are not torturing people. There is no we. Stop talking."

Ezor huffed and rolled her eyes. She looked at the ships. She had nothing against shopping, but normally she wasn't tied up. When was the last time she had gone shopping? Sure, she and Zethrid would give each other little gifts every now and then, but when was the last time she had really gone shopping?

Back when Narti was still alive.

That still hurt. Narti had been her best friend. And everyone loved Kova. She missed Narti. She missed Zethrid. And if she didn't stop thinking about this, she'd cry in front of Acxa.  
She shook her head slightly, pushing her memories back.

 

"This one?" The man asked

Acxa nodded, prodding Ezor, who grumbled and put on a smile. "Yes, thank you. Shall we make the trade?"

"I'll need to see the ship to make sure it is quality enough to trade. Or no trade."

Ezor's eyebrow twitched. She forced a bigger smile. On everyone else, this would look just as fake as it was, but Ezor made it so real. Her smile was just so charming, you couldn't look away or think anything was wrong.

And that's when she'd strike.

Acxa blinked back to the present, where Ezor was still charming the man. "Well, as you can see, I'm a little incapacitated at the moment. My friend here-" She shot a darting look and Acxa- "will get the ship while I stay here. Alright?"

The man blinked. "Uh, sure?"

Acxa walked away. The ship was still near the hospital, so she'd have to walk all the way back. Past some of these stores that were so empty, the abandoned courtyards, the weeds that grew rampant with no one to trim them. What had happened? She assumed the power vacuum in the Galra empire. With the pirates and druids hunting people down, it made sense for this place to be deserted.

The power vacuum....

She remembered fighting the paladins alongside Ezor, Zethrid.... and Lotor.

Her feelings toward Lotor were complicated. It didn't matter now, he was dead. Right?

Looking up, she saw a thought-to-speech box. Narti had one. HAD. Acxa closed her eyes. Narti- the mute girl who had been her comrade. The blind girl with the cat. 

Stars, she missed her.

Narti had been loved by all the team. Of course, the team had all trusted each other, up to Narti's death, but she and Kova were just.... special.

Not in the same way as Ezor.

What? Why did she think that? 

Because each member of the team was special in their own way, right? Yeah, that was it...

Oh. She was here. Climbing in the ship, she sat back against the seat. She needed to stop living in the past. Feelings she may or may not have had were not important right now. She started flying to the shop.

 

Landing, she jumped out. Ezor frowned at her, and the man raised an eyebrow. "I suppose it'll do... I'll need 100 GAC with it."

Acxa narrowed her eyes. "That wasn't the deal."

Ezor laughed. "What she means, is that you said this was a trade only. No charge. We trade, and we're both happy. Ya know?"

The man shook his head. "The ship you want is not equal to a fighter this size, and not a Galra ship."

Ezor's eyes turned dark. Her smile remained. "Problem?"

"I believe I just said it."

Acxa cut in. "It's fine. What ship would you say is suitable for our inadequate ship?" She said, voice only somewhat biting. 

The man glared. "Well, I'd say-" He widened his eyes and slumped over, Ezor behind him. Her appendage, which she had used to knock him out, was stilling. Ezor raised an eyebrow.

"What? I don't have time for this. Besides, Miss-Goodie-Goodie, you can still leave the ship." Ezor glared. "Now, are we going or not?"

Acxa glared back at her. "You were supposed to follow orders!" She shook her head with a growl. "Whatever. Let's go."

She pushed Ezor onto the ship, securing the ropes. Acxa sat in the seat, then realized they needed supplies. Shi-

"Hellooo?" Ezor asked. "Are we moving? Once he wakes up, we are done for, since you have me tied down."

Acxa frowned in irritation. She was right. They needed to leave now, supplies or not. She began flying. 

 

Once they were out of the atmosphere, she pushed a control forward, speeding them up. Ezor yelped in surprise.

"What the heck, Acxa?"

Acxa kept her eyes forward. "Sorry, stick's a little loose."

Ezor grumbled and leaned back. Soon enough she was asleep. Since they were in the void of space, she looked away from the screen and at Ezor. 

When sleeping, Ezor was strangely adorable. She had a strange way of breathing, too. She inhaled through her nose, exhaled from her mouth. And for some reason, was one of the cutest things Acxa had ever seen.

Acxa felt her face burn. What was she thinking? She whirled back to the screen, avoiding her thoughts.

 

Sometime later, Ezor woke up. After watching Acxa for a few doboshes, she spoke. "So, if you aren't a paladin-loving traitor, why'd you help them? Why didn't you ever kill that one with the flippity hair?"

Acxa stayed still. Finally she spoke. "Because I have reason to believe that he is my brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I don't own anything, this is for entertainment only.  
> And yeah, I had Acxa do the "sorry, stick is loose" thing that Keith did xD


	4. Chapter 4

It was silent for a dobosh. Then Ezor's eyes widened and she started speaking, like she was going in five different directions at once.

"Your brother? But how? How do you know? And you aren't human, your dad was from the Dalterion Belt and your mom was some Galra who left you. But how?" When, she was finished, Acxa inhaled then exhaled.

"When he rescued me from the weblum, I noticed immediately that he looked like me. But he was obviously human. I thought it was just coincidence, and the reason I didn't kill him was because he saved me and I owed him. That, and I wasn't sure I could get out without him." Acxa stopped to take a breath. "Then, his teammate mentioned he was half Galra. After this, the theory formed in my mind. Then, in the Ulippa system, I saw him again, and he recognized me. And no matter what, I couldn't bring myself to kill him. He saved me, and what if I killed my brother? My last family member alive? Ever since then, I wondered if my mother was still alive, and if she had another child."

Ezor was silent, watching her with curiosity and confusion. 

"When I separated from you two, I was trying to find my own path and let the two of you be alone together. Then, after seeing you had the paladins- I had to rescue my brother. Or whoever he is to me. I didn't mean for-" She swallowed. "-I went with the paladins and found Keith's mother. She looked just like me. Her name was Krolia."

Ezor gasped. "That was your mother's name!" A moment of silence. "Well, yeah, that's obvious now that I've said it."

"She didn't seem to recognize me," Acxa said. "But I now have more reason then ever to believe they are my family."

Ezor paused. "So... you found your family. What are you gonna do? What are you gonna say?"

Acxa shook her head slightly. "I don't know yet." The conversation ended.

Ezor observed her. Acxa's face was emotionless, as always. Had she ever seen her with emotion? 

Yeah... one time, when she herself talked to Acxa about how Lotor could kill them at any time. That was when he had killed Narti. Ezor had been in pain, she had lost her best friend. She tried to convince Acxa to realize how they were in danger, how he could kill them like he killed Narti...

But she was never in danger, was she? Acxa was with Lotor the whole time, Ezor thought bitterly. She had been concerned for Acxa, and Acxa was with Lotor the whole time.  
Though in all honesty, it hadn't affected her then. She gave up on figuring Lotor out, and if they were together, it'd be fine wouldn't it?

Then Lotor went freaking insane. Even Acxa realized that. She and Zethrid had talked about it when they were with Haggar, how Acxa was always close to Lotor. That's when she and Zethrid started getting really close...

She swallowed. Stop thinking of Zethrid. Stop thinking of Narti.

It only brought pain.

But it also brought joy. Ezor loved Zethrid, and she had such wonderful memories with her. She smiled when she remembered when she and Zethrid started dating. Then she remembered Zethrid was dead.

She looked back at Acxa. What were her emotions? Ezor had always been great at reading people, but she couldn't tell with Acxa, not anymore. The three years had destroyed their bond. 

Clearly, she thought. Acxa wouldn't have killed Zethrid before. Would she?

She thought about how Acxa was with Lotor the whole time, how when she shot him, it wasn't for Narti, like she had thought, but for him. His plan. 

She grit her teeth. Had she even cared when Narti died? Was it all their plan? Did they laugh over a glass of wine, after planning her death? How long would it have been until she or Zethrid weren't useful?

Maybe that's what had happened. They weren't useful, so Acxa blew them up.

No, that wasn't Acxa.

But maybe she didn't know Acxa as well as she had thought.

Still, she'd get revenge. If she couldn't for Narti, she would for Zethrid. This was Zethrid's killer. Acxa and the paladins.

She'd kill them all slowly.

But she'd need Acxa's trust first.

 

"So where are we going?" Ezor finally asked. Acxa kept her eyes forward.

"Wherever we're needed."

Ezor snorted. "That's like, everywhere."

"If need be."

"I say we go to a mall."

Acxa raised an eyebrow.

Ezor noticed. "We have no supplies. How are we going to help anyone when we're starving? Plus, I hate being in this hospital gown. It looks bad, even on me."

"I see your point about the food. We are not shopping for clothes."

Ezor sighed dramatically. "Fiiine, I suppose I'll have to save the galaxy naked."

Acxa's face started turning red. She kept her neutral expression.

Ezor smirked. "Yeah, and you know I need to walk around the ship to make sure my legs don't fall asleep. Guess I'll do that naked.... you're a lucky gal."

Acxa felt the blood go to her face. No doubt, she was extremely red. "Fine. Something simple."

"That's what I thought. Maybe one day if you're lucky."

Acxa's face burned.

 

"Ugh, finally. I need to stretch my legs- hey, you gonna untie me?" Ezor asked. Acxa narrowed her eyes. Ezor rolled her own. "I promise not to kill you. Or anyone else."

Acxa's eyes narrowed even more. "Keep it up and your eyes are just going to close," Ezor muttered. She held out a pinkie as best she could, given her arms were tied down.   
"Promise."

"I'm not a fool."

"I never said you were."

"I'm not foolish enough to trust you."

"I'm not really asking you to trust me. I'm asking to walk."

They had a staring contest. It lasted a few doboshes. Finally, Acxa caved. "Fine. But first sign of trouble, and I end you. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ezor sing-songed. She smirked. Acxa crossed her arms. Ezor stopped smirking. "It's fine."

 

Ezor bounced on the tips of her toes. "I have so much energy. I could run around this entire mall five times and be able to race a ship." She waved her arms around. Acxa sighed.  
"We need to find supplies."

"How about clothes first? That way you don't have people looking at you like you have a mental patient with you."

Acxa looked around. Indeed, almost everyone was staring at them. She scowled, then kept her face neutral. She felt uncomfortable and annoyed.  
"Fine. Let's go."

Ezor jumped. "Finally! Let's go." She raced off in the clothes section, then started walking backwards when Acxa walked slow.

"You walk sooo slow," Ezor groaned. She started walking backwards, facing Acxa. "Don't you ever, like, move quickly?" She paused. "I mean, speed walking."

"There's no reason to walk quickly," Acxa said. 

"If you'd like to be done today, there is," Ezor said. A commotion started happening to their left. They glanced over. A group of people were there and one was speaking loudly. Everyone was stealing glances at them.

"Man, that's fun. You'd hate it if that was us, huh?" Ezor asked, poking her head next to Acxa's.

Acxa shot her a glare. "If you create a commotion, I will murder you."

Ezor rolled her eyes. "Chill." She grinned. "And here we are! Finally," she added under her breath.

They entered. Ezor turned in a full circle. "Interesting. I'd rather have my old clothes. Kay, have to shop."

Acxa watched her dart back and forth, holding outfits up to herself in the mirror. Her eyes didn't light up like they should when she was shopping. She didn't have her 'shopping smile', which was a beautiful thing to see-

Acxa closed her eyes. No. It wasn't beautiful. Wow, she needed sleep.

"Hey, which one looks better? Nothing is... going with me," Ezor said with a sigh. Acxa glanced between the outfits. Ezor moved them before she had a chance to look at them too carefully. "Oh! I know! I'll try them on! Then you can tell me, and I'll see which one looks better."

Acxa waited as Ezor whooshed into the changing room. A few moments later, Ezor popped out. "Ta-da!"

She had a pink tank top that showed off her midriff with a leather jacket that ended where her shirt did, and skinny jeans. Acxa's face turned red. Ezor had a toned stomach. She had a scar on her stomach, and Acxa struggled to remember how she got it.

"Whaddya think? Wait, don't answer, lemme try on the other one," Ezor zoomed back in the dressing room, giving Acxa a chance to breathe. 

Ten tics later, Ezor strut out. This time, she had a longer jacket, a pink tank top again, this time fully covering her, and leggings. She looked... nice.

"Okay, now whaddya think? I call my style, 'casually killin it', get it? Get it?" Ezor waited a moment, then sighed when she got no reaction. "You're so boring... anyway, which one?"

Acxa shrugged. "Just get them both."

Ezor smiled widely. "Really? Thank you!" She threw her arms around Acxa. Acxa stiffened and flushed. 

"Uh, yeah, whatever," she mumbled. "Let's go."

Ezor pulled back and met her eyes. "Yeah, I'll go check out." She walked away. Check out...

Acxa blinked and shook her head. She needed sleep, badly.

 

After walking out of the store, Ezor leaned over. "I'm really glad you let me get them both," she whispered. "Because my leg kind of tore the jeans and leggings." Acxa groaned.

 

Once they got back to the ship, after dragging all of their supplies, Ezor sat in the extra seat. "That was exhausting," she yawned, stretching her arms. "I haven't shopped that much in a long time." Painful memories struck her and she winced.

Acxa yawned a bit herself. She was exhausted. She hadn't slept in two quintants or more. She really needed sleep. She grabbed the ropes. Ezor opened her eyes, then sprang up.  
"Hey, I was good today. Remember?" Ezor put her hands up.

Acxa was too tired to argue. "Just do it, Ezor. I'm tired and you're tired. It's easier to tie you up." Ezor sighed and sat back in the seat. Acxa tied the ropes tight and yawned. She sat in her own seat and closed her eyes, already hearing Ezor's light snoring.


	5. Chapter 5

Ezor opened her eyes. Acxa was still sleeping. She tried to move her arms, expecting the ropes to stop her. The ropes loosened. Ezor looked down in surprise. Apparently Acxa had been too tired last night to tie her up properly...

She twisted her way out of the ropes. This was her chance. She didn't have a weapon, but she could just strangle her. This was her chance at revenge. She loomed over Acxa, her appendage ready to strike. She paused, then backed away. She watched from a few feet away.

 

Acxa stirred. She felt eyes on the back of her neck. She turned around and saw Ezor in her chair, untied. She jumped, gun out. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ezor glanced at her. "Sitting?"

Acxa kept her gun on her. "You're untied."

Ezor sighed. "I know, it looks bad, but I haven't done anything. I just sat down. Well, I used the bathroom, then washed my hands, then sat down."

"Don't get started with me. I should kill you now."

Ezor met her eyes. "Don't. You'll lose your only person to talk to. You'd probably go insane, and who could you help if you were crazy? Nobody, and therefore you should keep   
me."

Acxa's grip tightened. "I won't be swayed that easily."

"And I can help fight! Or sneak aboard ships when you need me to. Maybe I'll even save your life," Ezor waved her hands.

"Is that all you have to offer?" Acxa nearly scoffed.

"And... I'm cute?" Ezor tried. 

Acxa did scoff now, but she lowered her gun. Ezor sighed in relief and slouched. Acxa raised her gun. "Try anything, and I will shoot. Understood?"

Ezor saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

Acxa rolled her eyes. She returned to her seat, watching Ezor out of the corner of her eye. She was plotting something. She'd have to watch carefully.

Ezor felt Acxa's eyes on her. She was on to her. Ezor tapped a finger on the table. She really should have gotten something to read...

Ezor stood up. "I'm gonna make some breakfast. That alright with you?"

Acxa narrowed her eyes. "Sure," she said. Ezor walked to the kitchen, or food area, as it was rather small, her footsteps silent. Acxa faced the controls again. There was no way she was eating whatever Ezor was making.

 

A while passed, and Acxa quietly groaned in frustration. She hated piloting this long, by herself, so much. Back on Lotor's ship, there were four of them, not including Lotor, and they had conversations.

She really missed that.

"All done!" Ezor sing-songed, holding two sandwiches. Acxa raised a brow. 

"It took you that long to make two sandwiches?"

Ezor rolled her eyes. "I had to get the stuff out, too."

Acxa narrowed her eyes again. Did that 'stuff' include poison? She turned back to the controls. "I'm not hungry."

Her stomach rumbled.

"Yeah. More like you think it's poison, huh?"

Acxa didn't respond.

"It's not! See?" Ezor took bites out of both sandwiches. "Not dead."

"I'm still not eating that."

Ezor went back to her seat at the table. "Rude... I'm actually hurt. I thought you knew me better than that." She paused. "If I were to kill YOU, I definitely wouldn't poison you."

"Do you WANT to get tied up again?"

Ezor raised her hands in defeat. "Hey, alright. More for me." She finished off both sandwiches. Acxa rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on the controls. Where to next? She could listen for distress signals, but why would they send those out? That would only give away their location to enemies. Although, she supposed, if they were sending out distress signals, they were probably already discovered.

Maybe she was overthinking this.

 

An eternity passed. The silence would have been fine, except she could feel Ezor staring at her. She grit her teeth. Just look forward.

 

An eternity later. There! A ship!

"Hey, people!" Ezor pointed. 

"I see that."

Ezor poked her. That would have been fine, if it was three years ago. Acxa opened her mouth to snap.

"Come on! They obviously don't have power! Let's go help! Or something," Ezor muttered. "Isn't that what you're supposed to be doing?"

Acxa stayed silent. Finally, she gathered her words. "Great. Let's go. You have your suit?" 

"Yeah, although my older suit would have suited this better... heh, suited,..." Her eyes widened. "Wait, I'm going with you?"

"I don't trust you to stay alone." Acxa grabbed her by the wrist. For whatever reason, Ezor turned a bit more pink. Or maybe it was the lighting. Whatever. "Come on."

They, having maneuvered closer, hopped out onto the other ship. It was small, but the colors were definitely Coalition.

"Hello?" Ezor called. Acxa stared down the dark ship. It looked abandoned. Ezor turned to Acxa with a shrug. "Oh well, might as well take any stuff we find-"

Someone coughed. Instantly, the two got into fighting stances. "Who's coughing?" Ezor demanded.

Another cough, then a weak voice. "Here."

They walked over carefully. They found a Coalition member. Acxa's eyes widened. She didn't realize a Puigian would be out this far. She hadn't seen one in three decaphoebs or so.

This Puigian was a girl. She had blue hair, blue marks. She wore a hat with her horns sticking out. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed shakily. She was holding herself and shivering. 

Acxa glanced around. The heat was down, along with everything else. It was freezing. Acxa removed her helmet and immediately saw another problem. The oxygen levels were dangerously low. Acxa knelt down.

"Excuse me. Can you speak?"

She felt so idiotic. She hated speaking to strangers. Speaking in general, but especially to strangers.

Ezor knelt down next to them. "You got a name?"

The girl coughed. "Purlia."

Ezor forced a smile. "Purlia. Cute. Where were you headed, and what happened?"

Acxa poked Ezor. "We need to take her back to our ship," she murmured. Already she was feeling light-headed. She couldn't imagine the girl would last much longer.

They picked her up, and left the freezing ship.

 

The girl huddled on a chair, a blanket wrapped around her. Acxa and Ezor watched a few feet away.

"She's a Puigian," Acxa whispered.

"Yeah, I noticed. Why is she out this far? I didn't know a Puigian had it in them," Ezor whispered back.

"Be respectful. She lasted for a while in that ship. The power had to have been out for a while, if all the heat was gone when we got there."

Ezor studied her. "I don't know. Seems pretty dainty to me."

Acxa narrowed her eyes. Why was the Puigian alone, if she was a Coalition member?

"She needs to answer our questions." 

Ezor nodded. "On it." She walked over and knelt. "Hey. You okay?"

If it wouldn't be rude, Acxa would have at least smiled. The way Ezor said it, like she didn't know what she was saying....

She shook her head. The lack of oxygen had messed her up.

Purlia inhaled. "I'm better." Her eyes were still closed. 

"Okayyy... can you tell me what you were doing out there? By yourself?"

Purlia shivered. "Escaping. The druids. Attacked our base. Don't know if... anyone survived."

Ezor glanced back at Acxa. Acxa shrugged. It sounded kinda strange to her, but who was she to judge?

"I was already... getting ready to leave. I was going on a supply run." Purlia rasped.

Her eyes were still shut. Ezor laid down on the ground, met Acxa's eyes, and mouthed BORING. Acxa rolled her own eyes. 

"So. Is there a reason you won't open your eyes?" Ezor asked.

Purlia didn't respond at first. "I saw so many people perish. I can't open my eyes, not after that."

"That makes sense," Ezor said. She looked at Acxa and mouthed, THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE?

"Well, uh, get your rest." Ezor jumped up and went to Acxa. "She's lying."

"I got that feeling. But how do we know for sure?" Acxa narrowed her eyes. "More importantly, how do I know you're not?"

Ezor groaned. "I thought we were past this."

"You thought I'd trust you? Think again."

Ezor paused. "If I prove she's lying, will you trust me?"

"No."

"A little bit more than you do now?"

Acxa paused. After careful consideration, she met her eyes. "Fine."

Ezor smiled. "Great."

She strode over to the girl, swinging her hips. Acxa felt heat in her face and looked away. She inhaled deeply. Was the lack of oxygen really still affecting her? She glanced back to Ezor, who had reached her target. She was silent. Suddenly, Ezor swung her hand at Purlia's face, stopping just before she hit. No reaction. Acxa raised her eyebrows. Ezor rolled her eyes.

She swayed a little, still silent. Then, she swung her leg. And Ezor swung her legs fast. Acxa wasn't sure she would stop in time. Purlia darted away.

"Ah-ha!" Ezor cried. "Victory!"

"That's not proof," Acxa started to say, then Purlia stood, growing in height. Her marks disappeared, along with her horns and fluffy ears. Standing before them was a druid.

"Uh, wow," Ezor said, backing up to Acxa. "I was not expecting that."

"Fools. You could have died ignorant," the druid hissed. He raised his arms slowly.

"Ezor already is," Acxa muttered. Ezor smacked her lightly. "Hey!"

"But perhaps I will grant you a quick death," the druid decided. His hands began to glow. He shot it at them, and they jumped in separate directions.   
"Same thing as always?" Ezor asked, already in a fighting stance. Acxa nodded. Ezor grinned, that fighting smile of hers, and lunged at the druid. He shot at her, giving Acxa the opportunity to shoot at him. She jumped, held her gun, and aimed. 

The druid fell.

Acxa put her gun down. 

"Well, that was eventful," Ezor said. She kicked the druid. "What do we do with him?"

Acxa looked down at him. "I guess we stick him back in that ship. Did you get anything useful from it?"

"Nah," Ezor sighed. She shrugged her shoulders. "Kay, let's get him out of here. I don't want a body in here."

 

"So..." Ezor trailed off, shifting her weight from one leg to another. "What if that's what happens every time we try to help?"

Acxa inhaled, exhaled. "I'm not sure. But we still have to try."

"You sound like a 'motivational' speaker," Ezor muttered, sitting down. She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. Acxa rolled her eyes and went to her own chair. Her stomach rumbled. Ezor opened an eye.

"Toldja you should have eaten the sandwich," she said, then laughed. "Want me to make you one?"

Acxa tensed. After the fight, she had forgotten to be on guard around Ezor. She stood, making sure the path was clear. She went to the kitchen.

Ezor opened both eyes and rolled them. That's Acxa, completely paranoid. 

For good reason, she thought. She looked back, then stood. She checked the map. They were a long way from any planets. The closest one was Ruunak, several quintants away. About four quintants away, to be exact.

She returned to her seat. She'd strike when they got closer, she decided. Probably.

Acxa walked back in. She sat back down, without even glancing at Ezor. Ezor narrowed her eyes. Ignoring her? She could do that too.

She ignored Acxa.

She ignored the way she could so easily sneak up behind her, swing her leg, and end her.

She ignored everything.

She was so great at ignoring everything, in fact, that she fell asleep.

 

Acxa glanced back at Ezor, who had fallen asleep. She scoffed lightly and returned to piloting. 

She had been thinking about what Ezor said- that that might happen every time they tried to help. That couldn't be true, could it? Or what if they recognized her and Ezor as Lotor's generals? 

She shut her eyes. She was exhausted. Her head fell. She snapped it back up. She couldn't fall asleep, not now. She repeated this to herself over and over again. 

 

Acxa's head was down. She could barely stay awake at this point, but she couldn't fall asleep with Ezor here. But still, her eyelids were heavy. She slumped. Why was she so exhausted? There was no reason-

Ezor started fidgeting. Acxa jumped at the noise and turned. Ezor was whimpering quietly and moving around. Must be a weird dream.

Acxa turned back to the controls. Her head was pounding and her eyes weren't focused. She blinked, though that proved to be a mistake when she could barely open her eyes again. 

How long had Ezor been sleeping? She rubbed her eyes and glared at the path ahead of her. If she just sped up a little bit, they could get there in two quintants. 

Her eyes closed. The pounding in her head would stop if she slept. Maybe it was for the best...

She slumped forward.

Screaming came from behind her.

She darted up, hands on her gun. It was Ezor. She must have had a nightmare. She was still screaming, waving her arms wildly. Acxa dropped her gun and slid next to her, grabbing her arms.

"Hey! Ezor. It's Acxa. You're fine," she said, still holding her arms. "It's okay, you're okay!" She tried not to raise her voice, but it was difficult not to.

Ezor slowly stopped screaming and stilled. She inhaled shakily while Acxa murmured words. 

"You're okay," she whispered. "You're safe."

Ezor gulped. "A-acxa?"

Acxa nodded, leaning closer. "Yes. You're okay, nothing's wrong."

Ezor stared into her eyes, but her eyes were crazy and unfocused. The more Acxa talked, the more they came back into focus. She inhaled then exhaled. Acxa heard her muttering, "Inhale and exhale. Just breathe, I'm here with you, and I'm not leaving." She felt like she was intruding and looked away.

"I'm fine." Ezor didn't look at her. Acxa let go of her arms and stood. She walked back to her seat, occasionally checking on Ezor.

After an endless period of silence, Ezor spoke. "I suppose you're curious about what happened, right?"

Acxa didn't look back or respond. She felt it would be unwelcome. Ezor continued, in that same bland voice, like she wanted to act like it was no big deal.

"I have nightmares, every now and then, about- stuff."

Acxa's eyes widened.

"Zethrid used to help me with them, and they got better when I was with her. But after she was gone- well, I'm surprised I haven't had one that bad since I've been with you. I did have one right after she died, and the night after, and the night after... then I found you."

"So, yeah," Ezor said in monotone. "That's that. I think I'll sleep now. Night." She turned over, but Acxa could tell she wasn't sleeping.

She looked back to her controls. Acxa felt sick, like any second she could just crumble. She had caused this. Ezor needed Zethrid.

And she had killed her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Edited' when I was like passed out, so...  
> I gave Matt's girlfriend a name since we don't know it...

"We're here," Acxa said. She rubbed her blurry eyes. She hadn't slept. She couldn't. So she forced herself to stay awake. It wasn't too hard, she had trained for something like this. But it was harder when you hadn't done it in so long.

"I see that."

They hadn't spoken since the incident. Acxa was grateful for that. She'd rather not think about it. Yet, that was all she had done.

"So, what's the plan and why do I keep hitting my wrist?" Ezor asked, after wacking her wrist on the table for the fifth time. She glanced at Acxa for the first time since the incident. "You got a plan?"

Acxa was silent for a moment. She'd meant to, really, but she kept thinking back. She pondered long and hard for a good five minutes. "I'll take that as a no."

Acxa was jolted back into the present. She'd zoned out and had almost fallen asleep. "Right. We go in, get supplies. Ask around for any information about the Coalition or Blades."

Ezor snorted. Acxa glanced over, eyebrow raised. "Something funny, Ezor?"

"Like that'll work. They're being hunted down, remember? Like they would tell some random Galra where they're hiding."

Acxa scowled, because Ezor was correct. They wouldn't tell her. She'd have to think of something else.

"Well, let's go. We need supplies- both ours and for any rebels or Blades, right?" Ezor asked, stretching.

"That's correct."

They stood, facing each other. Then awkward tension was thick enough to slice with a knife. Acxa felt it suffocate her and cleared her throat. "Let's go."

 

"Ruunak was a Coalition planet, right?" Ezor asked, yawning. "They took it while Lotor was in charge?"

Acxa nodded. She looked around. There was nobody here. Great. Another dead end. "Olkarion."

Acxa blinked. "What?"

"It was like the headquarters for the rebels, wasn't it? Let's go there," Ezor said, shaking her leg. She caught Acxa staring. "What? It's numb."

Acxa shook her head slowly. "I suppose it is closer than my home... and it must still have people on it."

"Probably, and home?" Ezor asked. Acxa stiffened.

"Don't worry about it." Ezor rolled her eyes, but left it at that.

 

"Why is Olkarion so far away from Ruunak?" Ezor groaned. She laid on the table. "Are we there yet?"

Acxa grit her teeth. "We aren't any farther than we were ten minutes ago, Ezor."

"Well, EXCUSE ME for asking!" Ezor huffed, crossing her legs and arms. Acxa frowned. She'd better clean that table.

"How far away is it?"

Acxa closed her eyes. Crap, bad move, she almost passed out. She forced open her heavy eyes and stared ahead. She spoke, that should help.

"Still three vargas away, Ezor."

Ezor groaned and slid backwards off the table, doing a handstand. She walked around on her hands, never faltering. Her eyes were focused, but staring at nothing in particular. Still, Acxa was was glad to see focus in her eyes. She would do whatever she could to keep it there.

What? Where did that come from? She wouldn't do anything, she wouldn't go that far. Not for Ezor. Maybe not even for anyone.

Still... she wanted to get there as soon as possible. She sped up, hearing Ezor squawk and a thump.

"Acxa!"

"Oops."

 

"Well, you got your wish. We got there sooner," Acxa told her after seeing the planet in the distance.

"I didn't want to get my back bruised in the process," Ezor said, rubbing her back.

"It's not bruised and you know it."

"Whatever. It hurt when I fell."

"I honestly don't care."

Ezor pouted. "Always so rude, Acxa." Acxa rolled her eyes and landed the ship. They stepped out and their eyes widened. Instead of seeing the wonders of Olkarion like they should have, they saw destruction. The cities, once tall and proud, were now charred and blown up. The cities were empty.

"Guess the pirates got here first," Ezor muttered in disbelief. 

Acxa looked around. Destruction and chaos were all that greeted her. She looked to the forest- nearly burned down. She felt... disgusted? Disappointed?

"Pirates," she scoffed. "See, Ezor, these were the thugs you chose to join with."

Ezor whirled towards her, eyes burning. "Really? You wanna do this now? First, I didn't join, I ruled over them. Second, we never burned down forests. What's the point? Third, you-" She stopped, following Acxa's gaze. Several Olkari watched them, holding out spears.

"You are loud," the lead one said. It was female. She raised her spear towards them. "What's this I hear about leading pirates?"

Ezor laughed nervously, a higher pitch than normal. "Uh, no. I didn't lead these pirates. We came here looking for the Coalition? Or the Blades?"

The leader didn't lower her spear. "I recognize you. Aren't you Lotor's generals?"

Ezor stiffened. "We were. Not anymore. Now we help Voltron! Acxa here even spoke with them!"

The leader looked to Acxa. "You spoke with them? They live?"

Acxa nodded. "Yes, and I helped them. I promised to help the Voltron Coalition any way I could."

The leader narrowed her eyes, but lowered her spears. She glanced around them, like the pirates could return. "Take them to the camp. Take their ship too." She looked back to Acxa. "If you are truly with us, you won't mind us blindfolding you." It wasn't a question.

Ezor started to say something, but Acxa cut her off. "No, we won't mind."

 

The blindfold was ripped off of her. She kept her features in check. She glanced up. They were in a part of the forest that wasn't burned. A blanket of leaves hid her from the sun, and pretty much everywhere else. Then she saw the city.

It was beautiful, and she rarely thought that. All around her, Olkari worked. Until they saw her and Ezor, and gave them venomous looks. Ezor whistled. "Nice place."

"It is all we have. The pirates burned the rest. It will take us ages to rebuild," the leader said, glaring at Ezor. "And that is if they do not destroy more."

"Thank you for allowing us to stay," Acxa said. "I am Acxa, and this is Ezor. We mean you no harm."

"We shall see," the leader said. "I am Ryner."

"Lovely to meet you," Ezor said sweetly. Ryner frowned at her.

"You say the paladins sent you?" Ryner asked. She attempted to hide it, but Acxa detected traces of hope returning to her voice. "That is good news indeed. I hope they can restore peace to the universe."

Acxa heard a commotion from her right. She looked over. A human was running towards her, his hair in a ponytail. Her eyes widened as she recognized him. She heard Ezor scoff quietly as she realized who it was.

"Matt. You have heard?" Ryner asked. Matt nodded, out of breath. 

"Voltron is alive? They're okay-" Matt stopped and scowled at them. "You!"

"Us!" Ezor said.

Acxa closed her eyes. This was too much social interaction. 

"You're Lotor's generals! You fought against us! Why should we trust you?!" While Matt spoke, a female came up behind him. She held his hand and studied them. 

"Because we aren't with him any more, and we're telling the truth?" Ezor said. "I saw them too. All of them, plus some extra."

"They're safe?" Matt asked hopefully. 

Acxa nodded. "I swear, that the last time I saw them, they were safe."

"How long ago was that?" Matt asked. 

Acxa thought. "A movement or so ago." Matt looked to the girl and smiled. The girl, who had no features, held his other hand. 

"This is wonderful news," Ryner said. "Perhaps now the universe can be at peace."

"I'm pleased to see you smile again," the girl whispered to Matt, still holding his hand. He laughed quietly and pulled her into a hug. Acxa watched this and tried not to frown. Public affection... not her thing.

"Acxa?" Acxa heard Ezor's voice like she was moons away. She turned, wondering why they had moved, and stumbled. 

"Acxa?" Ezor's voice was closer now, with a trace of concern.

"I'm fine," Acxa mumbled and stood. She refused to meet anyone's eyes. Stars, that had been embarrassing. 

"Your friend appears to be in need of rest," Ryner noted. "Follow me."

She led them to a cabin and opened the door. Inside, there was a bed. "Unfortunately, we do not have any more beds to spare. Even with several people sharing, like Matt and Te-on." She pronounced the name like TAY- uhn. Ezor raised an eyebrow. "The girl with him," Ryner explained.

"Ah."

Ryner turned to leave. "I shall have food brought to you. Since we are offering you a place to stay, I expect you don't mind us using some of your supplies?"

Acxa shook her head. "No. That's why we brought them. Use whatever you need." Ryner nodded and shut the door.

"So, how's this going to work?" she heard Ezor speak, but didn't process it, slumping on the bed.

 

Acxa opened her eyes blearily. She looked at her surroundings. A small cabin greeted her warmly, a shelf next to the bed. Wait. The only bed. She whipped her head around. There was nobody next to her. She stared at the empty spot and the door opened.

"Hey," Ezor greeted, passing her a bowl of soup. Acxa looked into it. "Look, nothing's wrong with it," Ezor said and took a spoonful. 

Acxa raised her eyebrows but ate. She was starved, and this soup was delicious. She must remember to thank whoever made it.

"While we stay, we have to help," Ezor informed her. "Keep our space clean. Always ask for permission. Never leave camp. Stuff like that."

"Then that's what we'll do," Acxa said. She swallowed another spoonful. "How long was out?"

"A quintant or so," Ezor said. Acxa widened her eyes. "Hey, you're the one who refused to sleep."

Acxa finished her soup. "Shall we go?" 

 

"That's Ornak," Ezor pointed. "Over there is Teno, and behind her is Olka."

"How do you know all these people?" Acxa asked. Ezor cocked a brow.

"I'm social!"

"Right. How could I forget?"

Ryner found them. "I trust Ezor has told you everything?"

Acxa nodded. "Yes. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"There is. We have fields. We could use some help with them. Matt?" She waved over Matt and Te-on. "They will show you to the fields and supply you with tools. We don't have many, as we're using almost all our resources to protect ourselves from the pirates." She glanced at Ezor.

"Understood," Acxa said. They followed the couple to the large fields, Olkari scattered here and there. Acxa looked to Matt. "What is it you need done?"

"Whatever they ask you," Matt said, the tiniest bit gleeful. Acxa narrowed her eyes. "If you'll excuse us, we have to do our rounds."

"We will come get you in time for supper," Te-on spoke. "Until then, do whatever you can to help."

They watched the couple walk away. Ezor raised her eyebrows. "Cute."

"Hmm."

 

"Is it supper yet?" Ezor groaned. She wiped the sweat off her face, but only resulted in getting dirt on her. She frowned.

Acxa exhaled. "Should be soon." She blew the strand of hair away from her face. "When they said they were using all of their resources to protect themselves..."

"The pirates are still here," Ezor explained. "They took over the capital city. Kinda like they were mocking them, since this was such an important place to the Coalition. And every now and then, they attack. Or try to. They don't know where the base is. They send scouts out. But pirates are seriously unorganized, and Olkari are pretty good at this sort of thing."

"So, if the pirates did find this place?"

Ezor met her eyes. "They'd be overrun. Also, we'd probably be blamed."

The conversation ended.

 

"Have fun?" Matt asked, arm around Te-on. Acxa did her best not to glare at his obvious joy at the sight of her and Ezor, sweaty and covered in dirt. He had every reason to feel that way. It was only fair.

"It is supper. Come," Te-on said. They followed them to a large line of Olkari. When they got closer, Acxa realized it wasn't just Olkari. There were several species, including Balmerans and Taujerians, even Unilu. They were waiting outside of a stand. As she watched, the first two in line received trays. They smiled and walked away.

"That's a very long line," Ezor noticed.

"Yep. Could take an hour or more. Best get comfy," Matt said. "But things might go quicker today, thanks to you."

"Us?"

"Yeah. With those supplies you gave us, we have more food. Plus, with your help today, two people were free to cook," Matt said. "It may only take one hour today."

Acxa felt pleased. Finally, she had accomplished a goal! She noticed another girl walk up.

"Hey guys," she greeted. A cyber-unit followed her. She had four ponytails, cream/yellow skin, and purple eyes. Acxa studied her. She had a loose and relaxed stance, but the way she held herself made it seem like she could spring into action at any second. She was attractive, in a way.

"Nyma! Pidge is alive! Voltron is alive!" Matt exclaimed. Te-on held his hand and laughed a little. He turned to hug her. Nyma smiled.

"That's great news!" She said happily, patting his arm. "I know Beezer would love to see her again. Plus, the universe could use a hero."

Nyma glanced to Acxa and Ezor. "Hey, aren't those Lotor's generals?" Her voice gained a hint of hostility. Acxa met her eyes.

"We were."

Nyma raised a brow. "Were?" She echoed.

"That's right," Ezor stepped in. "We realized he was a total psycho and left. Now we're trying to help people."

Nyma's eyebrows were raised. "Really?"

Acxa didn't show it, but she flinched. She wouldn't say Lotor was a complete psycho... no, that was her being his top general for so long. He had gone crazy in the end, hadn't he? Maybe he always was.

Ezor poked her and Acxa blinked into reality. Thankfully, no one appeared to be speaking to her. They were discussing something, how the camp's defenses were holding up for now.

"On the bright side," Ezor whispered, "We're halfway there." Acxa looked up to see she was correct. However, she didn't feel hungry.

"Oh, come on," Ezor said. "Food! We have been working all day!" Acxa shrugged, she had been hungry, but mentions of Lotor had solved that problem.

\--

Ezor watched Acxa frown nowhere in particular. That was her 'thinking of unpleasant things' face. Although, to Acxa, everything was unpleasant. A breeze went through the forest and she shivered. Not only because it was cold, but the mention of Lotor. Who wouldn't shudder at that psycho?

She remembered the days before, when no was crazy or dead. When Zethrid was still alive... when Narti was still alive...

She shook her head. Going back to the past wouldn't help her, and she didn't need to cry in front of everyone. She stared straight ahead. The line had moved.

She poked Acxa again. "Hey, food." Acxa came back from whatever moon she was on and nodded. Ezor held back a sigh. Why did she even bother? She crossed her arms the way Acxa was and stared straight ahead. To distract herself, she listened to the human- Matt, was it?- and his friends.

"The pirates will be back soon," Nyma- who was a total BABE- said, looking up at the fading sunlight.

"They do seem to come when they are drunk," Te-on agreed. Matt sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

"If only we had Voltron," he said wistfully. "They would have stopped this from ever happening."

Nyma bumped his shoulder. "Cheer up, Matt. They're coming back to help."

"Including your sister," Te-on added. "I'd love to meet her. I've only ever seen from a distance... and your pictures, Matt."

Matt gave a small smile. "Yeah. She's crazy." He put an arm around Te-on's shoulders and looked to Nyma. "She'll be so happy to see Beezer." Beezer chirped.

"Next!" The cook yelled. Ezor looked at the soup she was given. It looked okay. She leaned closer and sniffed it. It smelled okay. Nyma led them to a table. She looked at Ezor.

"Hi. I probably came off as really rude back there, but I only knew you as Lotor's generals. But if you're helping us now..." Her voice trailed off, leaving the unspoken IF in the air. She smiled. "I'm Nyma. What's your name?"

"Ezor. The grumpy one is Acxa," Ezor said, jerking her thumb in Acxa's direction. Acxa only grunted in acknowledgment and continued staring in her soup.

"Nice."

The trio went back to their own conversation, leaving Ezor with only Acxa to talk to. "So..." Ezor started. Acxa looked at her. "You almost finished?"

Acxa looked at her untouched soup. "Sure."

Ezor thought for a bit then started giggling. Acxa gave her a quizzical look. Ezor tried to stifle her giggles and failed. "Remember the soup from that one planet with the chickens?"

Acxa's face began to shift into a smile. That was her 'can't help it' smile. Why did she know that? "Yeah. Zethrid threw a chicken at Lotor, and he got a feather stuck in his throat."

"And Kova chased all of the chickens," Ezor recalled. "And then we got the soup and Zethrid shouted, 'The chickens are IN THE SOUP?!'"

Acxa giggled. "And Narti just shook her head."

Ezor grinned, both at the memory and Acxa. Acxa put a spoonful of soup in her mouth. Finally! 

Ezor left her to eat and zoned out. She remembered Zethrid offering to punch Lotor in the stomach or throat to get the feather out. It had been hilarious. Lotor turned pale and shooed her away while choking...

...and Ezor had stayed back with Narti, describing the scene to her while Kova chased chickens. 

"I'm finished. Ready to go?"

Ezor nodded, and they followed Matt and the others to their cabin. Security reasons or something. The others left and Ezor and Acxa stared at each other and the bed.

"I can sleep on the floor, if you want," Ezor offered. She winced at the thought of the hard floor. But Acxa was shaking her head. 

"No, I can sleep on the floor."

Ezor started to protest. "That's hardly fair for you. I guess... we just share? You take left, I take right?"

Acxa stiffened, but agreed. They turned the light off and settled into bed. Ezor curled into a ball, trying to be as small as possible. Acxa gave her part of the blanket and she moved her legs underneath it and brushed Acxa's. She froze. This was going to be much more difficult than she thought.

\--

Acxa had her back to Ezor, but was aware of her breathing. Earlier, she had brushed her leg against Acxa's and Acxa almost bolted. She hated physical contact, but this was different. She didn't know how it was different, she just knew it was different.

She tried to stay as still as possible. It didn't help that the bed was tiny. Honestly, she had been more comfortable in the ship.

Acxa sighed, and her back moved and met Ezor's. She nearly jumped out of the bed. She stopped and listened. Ezor's breathing was normal. She was asleep.

Acxa closed her eyes, but sleep was a long way away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating. After season 8, I lost interest in Voltron. I was very disappointed with the ending. That's why this is so short. I will try and finish this series, but then hopefully I'm done with Vo/tron.

There was an arm around her.

She didn't notice at first- she had somehow fallen asleep, and was still half-asleep when she stirred. Acxa kept her eyes closed, slowly becoming aware of a weight on her. She opened her eyes. Ezor had an arm around her waist.

It took all of her willpower not to jump. Ezor wasn't aware she was doing in, she just slept sprawled out. She probably cuddled.

Acxa moved Ezor's arm off of her waist. Ezor made a small, sleepy noise of protest. Then she rolled onto her side. Acxa watched, and a small smile formed on her face. Then she shook her head and walked away.

 

\--

 

Ezor listened to Acxa walk out the door. She had been awake for a while now- had woken up to her arm around Acxa. She had frozen- what if she moved and Acxa woke up? Then she'd freak out and assume something, and ugh. So it was best to stay put, right?

It gave her time to think about things. Such as her dream. Well, more of a memory than a dream. It was when she had first met Lotor and Acxa. She had been an exotic dancer, as she really couldn't do anything else, with her being a 'halfbreed'. She had stumbled across Acxa, or maybe it was the other way, and Lotor found them and offered her freedom.  
She had accepted, of course, and journeyed with them, eventually finding Zethrid. Zethrid fought in the arena, and they freed her. She and Ezor got along, but Ezor didn't think of her in any romantic sense at the time.

Because soon after, they rescued Narti. 

Narti was held prisoner in a lab and experimented on. They saved her, and after spending enough time with her, Lotor gave her Kova.

And Ezor, as silly as it was, fell in love with her.

They had been in a relationship for a few deca-phoebs when... everything... happened. But she remembered happy moments.

 

They sat on Narti's bed, Ezor kicking her legs back and forth, while holding Narti's hand. Kova sat in Narti's lap. Ezor pet him with her free hand.  
"I cannot tell if you enjoy spending time in here because of me, or because of Kova," Narti said, speaking through her Thought-To-Speech tool.  
Ezor leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Both."

 

Ezor closed her eyes. In all her life, she had loved two people, and they both died. Maybe it was a message.

"You're up. Good. Eat. We have to work in the fields again," Acxa said, walking through the door and handing Ezor a bowl of soup. Ezor took it and began eating. Acxa paced around the room. "I was thinking."

"Always interesting," Ezor said, earning a scowl. Acxa placed her hands behind her back and continued.

"Maybe we could go to Earth. When we get a chance."

Ezor put down her spoon and slowly looked up. Acxa had her back turned to her. She could strangle her right now...

"Trying to find your brother?" She guessed, picking up her spoon. "He was on his way to Earth, wasn't he?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Acxa said. "They were trying to find their families."

"Family," Ezor said. She looked down. "Did any of us ever have that?" Her tone was wistful, sad.

Acxa lowered her eyes, thinking of their comrades. "We were a family once."

They stared at each other, Acxa standing by the shelf and Ezor kicking her legs on the bed. 

Ezor cleared her throat. "Well, you found your brother. Now he has more family."

Acxa nodded and walked out.

Ezor sighed and looked away. "Lucky him," she muttered.


End file.
